Sociology Does and Should Influence Social Policy Making’.

Sociology has had some influence on social policy, and varies from government to government but the extent of which has been thoroughly debated. Social policies are put in place in order to address the needs of the population in terms of welfare, housing, health, education, law and order and employment. The influence sociology can have on social policy includes; electoral popularity, ideological policy and preferences of government, interest groups, globalization and its impact, critical sociology, costs and funding sources. However, there is a definite correlation between the sociological researches being compromised by too close a relationship with the funding bodies. Modern sociologists hold the view that sociological research has an impact on social policy by providing practical solutions to social problems such as unemployment, educational failure and so on. They share the view that this kind of research is able to address key issues within society, gain empirical evidence and find the root cause of such problems.
On the one hand Positivists and Functionalists will state the view that social policies are ‘piecemeal social engineering’ and accept that sociological view do influence social policy making. Durkheim will hold the view that the meritocratic education system benefits society and promotes social cohesion and solidarity. He saw sociology as a way of restoring order in a society conquered by industrialization and strengthening integration and social stability. Linking into social policy, fundamentalists share the view of ‘value consensus’ whereby the state continues to serve the interests of society as a whole even through their own social policies. The state maintains their way of producing rational social policies that serve the interests of society as a whole and strive for the greater good.
In contrast, the social democratic perspective views…...

Similar Documents

...and social policies in Britain today tend to encourage or discourage certain types of families, rather than actively enforcing them like China’s one child policy. Government agencies and institutions only seem to take an active role on policing areas of family life when things are perceived to have gone wrong, such as regulating the fair distribution of assets following the breakdown of a marriage.
Most current social policies in the UK come from a New Labour perspective, as this party have been in power for almost 12 years. Therefore, many of these current social policies encourage the existence of the family, although not just in the nuclear form endorsed by the New Right. For instance new labour modified the law so that unmarried cohabiting couples, both heterosexual and homosexual, had the right to adopt on a basis equivalent to that of a married couple. This has made adopting easier for unmarried couples with fertility issues, but the biggest change to have resulted from it is that homosexual couples can now, fairly easily, adopt children, leading to a much more diverse range of families.
This change has been heavily criticised by New Right thinkers, who claim that it further undermines the nuclear family, by removing the restriction on unmarried couples from adopting children. They also claim that, due to not being raised in the “natural” environment of the nuclear family, that children adopted in this manner will be more likely to take part in anti-social......

...“Examine the relationship between sociology and social policy”
Social policies are the actions of governments, such as legal laws. They have a direct impact on citizens, for e.g. may provide them with services or income. Social policies are created after Sociological research identifies social problems of society, for e.g. policies put in place to help vulnerable children (adopted/abused), as they are highly likely to end up in gangs, as drug addicts or prostitutes. According to Worsley (1977) a social problem is some piece of social behaviour that calls for collective action to solve it. In turn, policies help tackle social problems e.g. increasing payment for foster/ adoptive careers to reduce vulnerable children getting involved with crime. The founding fathers of sociology believed that sociology had a central part to play in society – in reforming social institutions, solving social problems and improving human condition. Comte (1798-1857) saw sociology as a practical subject, not confined solely to universities, but being applied to wider society to gain social progress. Emile Durkheim believed sociology contributing to social policy can solve question of order in society.
Sociologists such as Giddens place a great emphasis on the practicality of studying sociology. The most significant outcome of sociology is that it allows us to understand the world around us, providing us with knowledge and insights. This understanding can take the form of factual knowledge......

...Social policies are the actions of governments, such as legal laws. They have a direct impact on citizens, for e.g. may provide them with services or income. Social policies are created after Sociology research identifies social problems of society, for e.g. policies put in place to help vulnerable children (adopted/abused), as they are highly likely to end up in gangs, as drug addicts or prostitutes. These policies tackle social problems e.g. increasing payment for foster/ adoptive careers to reduce vulnerable children getting involved with crime.
There are several factors which influence whether something will became a social policy. The type of political party in power effects social policies, as different parties have different agendas and concerns, for e.g. Labour wanted to help teenagers who weren’t going into further education by providing them with practical apprentices. The state of economy and how much social policy will cost taxpayers is another factor, for e.g. education monthly allowance for college students was abolished after the recession. Political parties also create policies due to an upcoming election to win over voters, for e.g. in the next general election the Conservative party who raised university fees up to £9000 per year, may lower the price.
If the sociologist’s findings are in line with the Europe Union, that policy is likely to be implanted as the EU has a big influence over its members, for e.g. the EU ruled that British car insurance......

...development. Children's first attempts are greatly influenced by the information and meanings directed to them by their social communicative partners. However, that conversation is dependent upon many factors, the one that shall be further examined is the effect of social class.
There is wealth of empirical studies suggesting that all aspects of language that children learn are highly influenced by the socioeconomic status of their communicative partners. For example, Irwin's studies (1948, as cited in Raph, 1965) have shown the superiority of the speech sound of infants whose parents belonged to middle-class families over those of infants whose parents belonged to lower-class. Clearly, there are big differences between classes in the way they speak. Furthemore, Bernstein (1972, as cited in Piché, Rubin & Michlin, 1978) said that the language is characterised by the dissimiliraties in socialization process which are reflection of different social structural orders within the family. Additionally, the social structural bases of family have an effect on their communication orientation. Thus, the lower class families are characterised by a pattern role-to-role relations, in contrast to middle-class families where they are presumed to be characterised by a pattern of person-to-person role relations. Cook-Gumperz (1973, as cited in Piché et al., 1978) demostrated how social class made an impact on mothers and their children strategies of communicative control where......

...agree that social policy can have an important influence on family life, they hold different views about what kinds of effects it has and whether these are desirable. In this essay I will examine a range of different sociological views or perspectives on the impact of social policy on families. The actions and policies of governments can sometimes have profound effects on families and their members. Cross-cultural examples from different societies and historical periods can show us some of the more extreme ways in which the state’s policies can affect family life, this can help us to see the relationship between families and social policies in a new light. One particularly striking attempt by the state to shape family life was the policy set by China on controlling the population, and birth rate within the country. Chinas population control policy has discouraged couples from having more than one child. According to Adrian Wilson (1985) the policy is supervised by the workplace family planning committees; women must seek their permission to try and become pregnant, and there is often a waiting list and a quota for each factory. Couples who comply with the policy get extra benefits, such as free child healthcare and higher tax allowances.
Functionalists see society as built on harmony and consensus, and free from major conflicts. They see the state as acting in the interests of society as a whole and its social policies as being for good for all. Functionalist’s see policies......

...SOCIAL POLICY
Social Policy – actions that are taken by the government to maintain and improve the welfare of its citizens .
MARXIST – TO CRITICIZE FUNCTIONALIST
The Black Report
* For example, this report, carried out in 1980 on class inequalities in health made 37 far-reaching policy recommendations for reducing inequalities
* These included free school meals for all children, improved working conditions, better benefits for the disabled and more spending on housing
* The Labour government had originally commissioned the report in 1977 but it was only completed in 1980, the year after Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative government came to power
* The new government refused to implement the reports recommendations on grounds of cost and even tried to prevent its publication
* The Labour government had originally commissioned the report in 1977 but it was only completed in 1980, the year after Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative government came to power
* The new government refused to implement the reports recommendations on grounds of cost and even tried to prevent its publication
Post Modernism
* For them, sociology has no contribution to make to policy.
* The role of sociology is to simply allow people to seek out an understanding of their personal lives within a specific social context
* This is because post-modernists reject the modernist idea of ‘progress’; social research cannot be used to usher in the ‘good society’
TO CRITICIZE :
...

...Assess the relationship between Social Policy and Sociology. (33 Marks)
Sociology is a subject that wants to study and understand society. Social policy or otherwise known as the law comes from research completed by sociologists, which is then proposed to the government. Social policy can be seen to change social problems such as the economy. Peter Worsley describes a social problem as “some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction”. For example poverty, educational under-achievement, and divorce can be seen as social problems that the government may be forced to tackle with social policies. Worsley thinks that a sociological problem is “ any pattern of relationships that calls for explanation”, meaning any piece of behaviour that we want to make sense of. For example why some families are richer than others? , Why people commit crime? Or why couples remain happily married? George Simmel was intrigued about the characteristics present in all social relationships and their different settings, be it in an office, in the family home or on a busy street. However many sociologists are interested in solving social problems through their research. They will conduct their research so it is aimed at the social problem they are most interested about. Government departments such as home office employ many sociologists. They will often have a direct input into making social policies. However sometimes sociological research does not effect social polices, and there are a......

...Social policy is an applied version of Sociology. It is primarily concerned with improving and reforming society. It focuses on studying and also influencing how governments respond to social policy. Researching social problems such as poverty for example has proven hugely popular amongst many sociologists. For there is a high chance their research will be funded by the government, aiding in this common practical problem some sociologist’s face.
According to Anthony Giddens (2001), there are four practical benefits of studying sociology. One being that it helps our understanding of social situations. Factual information can be gained on society that can then be examined using theory. So the factual knowledge provides us with facts, and the theoretical understanding provides people with an explanation for these facts. For example, a series of reports by Townsend in 1979 and later Mack and Lansley showed the extent of poverty in Britain and showed groups most at risk of it. The facts they produced can be understood in relation to theory. Sociologists uncovered the extent of poverty by devising deprivation models of poverty, proving that it can be fully understood in terms of what people normally expect to have. Giddens also believes that another benefit is the awareness of cultural differences aspect. Leading to the raising of needs of minority groups in society. Over time, sociologists have built up a picture of the social and economic exclusion suffered by disabled people...

...How does sociology help us to understand 'class' as an important social phenomenon?
Sociology emerged in the nineteenth century as an attempt to understand the transition from traditional to modern society. Many argue that class is no longer important as a social phenomenon as an individual’s identity are based more on status and cultural factors such as lifestyle, values, intelligence, education. Others argue that class is still a central influence on people’s lives, that it affects their life chances. They argue that class inequality exists and that such inequalities are widening rather than narrowing. The major perspectives historically have been Marx and Weber who have provided their views and support for the idea that society is class-conscious. Other theorists, such as Clark and Lipset challenge Marx and Weber theory and believe that class is not an important social phenomenon. The common stratum model of class divides society into a simple hierarchy of working class, middle class and upper class. Class is an important social phenomenon that exists in society and through sociology we are presented with a variety of concepts and theories that contribute and support our understanding of the classes.
A class system “refers to a social group, defined in terms of its economic position in a hierarchy of inequality and with material interests that differentiate it from other classes.” (Van Kriken; Habibis; Smith; Hutchins; Martin; Maton, 2014, P.205). The most common...

...Social policies are the plans and actions of government agencies, which aim to address social issues, ranging from poverty to racism. Sociology has been linked to the beginning of social policies, especially in more recent years. For example, the concept of marketisation within the school system in the early 1990’s and the reduction in funding for Higher Education Tuition Fees was influenced by contemporary sociology. Donnison believes that there are four factors that he feels shape social policy. These are changing political agendas, changing circumstances, growing knowledge and new questions. There are different sociological opinions that view the relationship between sociology and social policy differently, which means there is no simple view. For example, social policies are introduced to the belief that they will improve society by tackling social problems: affecting the welfare of the population of the country where the policy is being introduced. However, Feminists and Marxists believe that social policy is not just about improving the welfare of citizens, as they believe it is about social control; deterring rather than helping individuals.
Giddens’ supports Donnison by stating that there are four practical uses of studying sociology. These include: understanding social situations, being aware of cultural differences, assessing the effects of policies and increasing self-knowledge. By understanding social situations, we are able to understand the world around us...

...Social policy is the actions, plans and programmes of government bodies and agencies aim to deal with a problem or achieve a goal.e.g preventing crime and reducing poverty. Policies are often based on laws that provide the framework within which these agencies operate. Sociologists findings may sometimes influence social policies but many other factors also play a part, such as political ideologies and the availability of resources. This essay will assess the relationship between sociology and social policy.
Essentially, it can be argue that social policies are one of the most applicable ways in which sociology finds it simperative uses. This is because many sociologists argue that sociology should be used to solve sociological problems as defined by Peter Worsley “ a behaviour in which causes private misery or calls for collective action to solve it” This therefore means sociology can and should be used to investigate patterns of these behaviours and ways in which it can be resolved.
Additionally, the relationship between sociology and social policy according to Functionalists and Positivists such as Comte and Durkheim is that a rigorous objective and scientific approach should be used in order to generate social facts which can be used by the government to develop generic nomothetic patterns of behaviour that can be used to implement policies that benefit society as a whole. As highlighted, Positivists and Functionalists adopt a positive relationship between sociology...

...relationship between sociology and social policy
Social policy is the actions, plans and programmes of government bodies which aim to deal with a problem or achieve a goal .e.g preventing crime and reducing poverty. Policies are often based on laws that provide the framework within which these agencies operate. The following essay will argue for and against the relationship between sociology and social policy.
It can be argued that the relationship between social policy and sociology is not always consistent because sociological funding may not be implemented. This is because of a range of factors such as electoral popularity. This is the perception that social policy will not be used to if citizens will not like the policy. Also current government bodies and their ideologies will also influence the implementation of government polices. This means research findings may have to fit into the governments’ values and set of beliefs before the social policies can be implemented. Finally, funding sources are another important factor. This is the view that the government essentially influences what area of research the sociologists researches and it is essentially a reference to the phrase “He who pays the piper call the tune” this is the view that the policies suggestions are initiated by the government.
The relationship between sociology and social policy according to Functionalists and Positivists such as Durkheim is that an objective and scientific approach should be......

...Government policies are an amendment that is close to what could be described as a suggestive law, known as a social policy which will be used to improve, impact, or change aspects of society. Sociological research and government policies work together in that when sociologists collect results and data on subjects in which there is a problem within society, it allows the government to place policies to counteract the problems found in society by the sociological research. sociologists solely research social problems, such as poverty and divorce etc. and therefore some of the studies conducted have had massive influence on both government perceptions of underclass society as well as in the lives and well being of the public within the society being studied. As a result many of the key elements of research conducted are taken into consideration when new government policies are taken into consideration. However although some sociological research such as Murray's research on 'the underclass dependency culture, directly linked to the government policy / social policy that was then passed to help the older generations to live without depending on the younger members of the family.
Positivists and Functionalists believe that sociology is a science and therefore they believe they can discover solutions to many of the problems in society. A key idea that Functionalists believe is that they see society as a system (Parsons), they believe that there are different parts to it and......

...Social policy refers to a government initiative, central or local, that aims to meet the welfare needs of the population. They govern many areas of social life such as educations and health and aim to address social problems such as racism and youth offending.
Giddens (2001) states that there are four benefits to studying sociology which make up why it informs social policy. Firstly, sociological study can develop understanding of social situations both factually, allowing development of judgement or theory, and theoretically, enabling us to provide and explanation as to why something is happening. Secondly, it can inform policymakers of perspectives that are different from their own, such as the awareness of cultural differences, from this discrimination can be combatted, for example, governments have tackled discrimination against disability and ethnic minorities through social policy. Thirdly, sociological research helps to assess the results of policy initiatives, all government initiatives require evidence that programmes they have put into place are working. Finally, sociology may generate greater self-understanding, this knowledge allows people to reflect upon their experiences of life which may lead to questioning of government policies and creation of protest groups with non-government initiatives enabling people to liberate themselves, for example sociology has shown the extent to which homosexuals have been discriminated, as a result the gay community demanded......

...Assess the relationship between sociology and social policy
In order to understand the role of sociology in relation to social policy, it is important to firstly distinguish between social problems and sociological problems. According to Peter Worsley, a social problem is some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and private misery and calls for collective action to solve it. According to Worsley, a sociological problem is “any pattern of relationships that calls for explanation.” In other words, it is any piece of behaviour that we wish to make sense of. However even when sociologists conduct research into social problems, there’s no guarantee that policy makers will study their findings, or that any solutions they propose will find their way into social policies. Many factors may affect whether or not sociological research succeeds in influencing policy. Some of these include electoral popularity, interest groups, globalisation and cost.
Different sociological perspectives hold different views of the nature of the state and their social policy it produces. As a result, each perspective tends to take a different view of the role of sociology in relation to social policy.
Early positivists such as Comte and Durkheim took the view that sociology was a science and would discover both the cause of social problems and scientifically based solutions to them. As such, their approach was part of the Enlightenment project to use science ad reason to improve......